Cantor plays super PAC man

The No. 2 House Republican, Rep. Eric Cantor, plans to help the establishment this cycle — and himself.

The star fundraiser is throwing his weight behind a powerful new GOP super PAC backed by Speaker John Boehner, the Congressional Leadership Fund, and a second one, the YG Action Fund, launched by former Cantor deputy chief of staff John Murray. Both groups support the goal of bolstering the Republican House majority, but the group founded by Cantor’s aide also plans to focus on the Young Guns brand of insurgent candidates not afraid to challenge the establishment.

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Some Republican leaders see Cantor’s branching out as a boon for overall fundraising, but GOP establishment players question whether Cantor is looking out for his own brand at the expense of the broader party effort after tensions have arisen repeatedly between the top two House Republicans during the past year.

Even GOP-ers who believe competition for dollars will bolster the overall fundraising effort concede there’s a limited resource pool, even though super PACs can rake in unlimited amounts of cash from corporations, unions and individuals.

“They will lean on some of the same interest groups,” former National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis said. But Davis also said the rise of super PACs could ultimately lead to more money flowing to the Republican cause.

But others are wary that support for the Young Guns PAC could spark tensions next year when the fundraising competition for the White House, Senate and House begins in earnest.

“There’s some concern that Eric’s super PAC is a little too Eric-centric and that donors will support him,” said one Republican strategist, who is not linked to either of the groups. “The real fight is because the House is always third. There’s the presidential fundraising, the Senate, which is kind of sexy. Raising money for Illinois 15, for example, is very pedestrian.”

Another Republican lobbyist echoed those fears, noting that the GOP leadership-backed Congressional Leadership Fund is going to be funding get-out-the-vote efforts and other ground game political tactics, while the Cantor-backed group is expected to have a narrower set of goals that will ultimately benefit the Virginia Republican by expanding his fundraising base.

Murray said the super PAC won’t detract from the overall effort to build the House majority because it’s centered on expanding the Republican brand to a new generation focused on center-right issues.

“All of these various groups are going to work in their own lanes and be very effective,” Murray said. “It’s incumbent on those asking for the money to have a very smart, strategic approach that they can present to the donor they are speaking to, and that person is going to have to decide for themselves.”